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| On the Road:Wayne Fortin |
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I recently visited our TIP of Yuba and Sutter Counties, CA Affiliate. I was the guest speaker at their monthly Continuing Education Meeting, and I was honored to present graduation certificates at their graduation.
Our Yuba and Sutter Counties Affiliate, like our NW Florida Affiliate is an “all volunteer” affiliate. Although they serve a large geographic area and respond to many TIP calls, they don’t have paid staff. Amazing!
One of the aspects of this Affiliate that really impressed me is that they serve all of the emergency agencies and hospitals in the area . . . all 35 agencies. That speaks to excellent reputation that TIP of Yuba and Sutter Counties enjoys. In fact, one of the speakers at the graduation was Sheriff Parker, the Sheriff of Sutter County. He described TIP as “the best” organization in the region.
Throughout the evening, it became clear to me that Lou Binninger, the TIP Crisis Team Manager, and the TIP volunteers strive for excellence. They are proud of their reputation for being “the best.” While I was there, Lou gave a 15-minute presentation to his volunteers on how to provide emergency responders with a WOW experience. Here are the 6 ways Lou suggested on how TIP volunteers can turn a “good” TIP call into a “WOW” call. A “WOW” call is one which gets the attention of emergency responders and which they will remember . . .
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. . . Listen with discernment, i.e., “What is really going on here”
. . . Look beyond the obvious victims
. . . Give clients written resources which are relevant to their situation
. . . Leave a business card with important names and numbers (doctors, coroners . . .)
. . . Be bold. Jump into the situation when others are reluctant or afraid to do so.
. . . Be on time. When a volunteer is late to a call it leaves a “bad taste” with emergency responders.
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Lou pointed out these are all “little things” but taken together they make a big difference.
I am very proud of our TIP of Yuba and Sutter Counties Affiliate. They are not satisfied with mediocrity or with providing an “OK” service. They are striving to be the best they can be for their clients, and to be the best organization in their area.
Lou Binninger can be contacted at loubinninger@gmail.com. |
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